This short ebook is part two of the collection “Metaphors for Alignment”. Its target audience includes project managers, middle level managers and professionals in all fields who aspire to lead but don’t have manager titles. It addresses the problem of how to improve an organization when you see a need, have the will but don’t have power.

1. LEADING
FROM THE
MIDDLE
Collaboration through Metaphors
By Larry Raymond

2. About the Author
Larry Raymond is a leading expert on the use of metaphors in
business. He’s the founder of the Metaphor Language
Research Center LLC, based in Boulder, Colorado, USA and
co-founder of The River Leadership Resources, a non-profit
based in Geneva, Switzerland. He’s held executive positions
at IBM, Lotus Development, Digital Equipment and Union
Carbide.
In addition to researching ways metaphors can help
organizations, Larry consults to businesses, international
agencies and governments on improving operations and
developing leaders.
Larry holds both USA and Irish citizenship, lived in Switzerland
for ten years and in Denmark for two, worked in more than 50
countries and published Reinventing Communication in 1994,
the landmark book in use of visual metaphors for increasing
business effectiveness.
“Leading from the Middle” is the second eBook in the
“Metaphors for Alignment” collection.
“Simplify” and “Alphas Don’t Bark” are also available for free
download at:
http://www.metaphormapping.com/
More information is available at:
http://riverleadership.org/
http://larryraymond.com/
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3. Introduction
This short ebook is part two of the collection “Metaphors for Alignment”.
Its target audience includes project managers, middle level managers and
professionals in all fields who aspire to lead but don’t have manager titles. It
addresses the problem of how to improve an organization when you see a
need, have the will but don’t have power.
Although collaboration has long been seen as the most promising style for
leading across functions and organizations, there’s a distinct shortage of how-
to guidance available.
This book aims to contribute by describing how aspiring collaborative leaders can
employ metaphors to quickly engage stakeholders in problem areas and set
improvement strategies.
Inclusive workshops aided by metaphoric techniques create an environment for
openness, clear communication and creative group thinking. They provide a
natural, intuitive process that doesn’t require facilitator-intensive support and
leads to a high degree of ownership for solutions.
3

4. On Leading
“A leader need not be on top,
Unless you're the boss,
but must be ahead.” being "ahead" does not mean
jumping into the spotlight and
The only style of leadership that delivers aiming to inspire everyone to
results across organizations is follow you.
collaboration. That means cooperating
and building together with others.
When you're a collaborative leader,
being "ahead" means you monitor the
environment, look to the future, recognize
a need and engage the collective know-
how of all stakeholders in addressing it.
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5. On Being in the Middle
When you don't control everyone’s paycheck, you’re in the middle.
You might be on the top of some org chart, but you depend on
others for the heavy lifting, achieving the big things on your plate.
Commanding and controlling is no longer best leadership practice.
Anyone aspiring to leadership needs
to be visible and set goals, but, to
succeed at collaborative leadership,
get some humility from all you don’t
know and think of yourself as being in
the middle, at best.
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6. When your demeanor is one of
being among equals and the
main currencies you exchange
are facts and reasoning, you’ll
find relationships are easy to
build and people are happy to
share their ideas.
Focus on the process, the flow of activities and information
underlying the need you identified. That will ground the discussion
in reality.
Respect everyone’s views.
Test any assumptions.
Your behavior will be reciprocated and passion to excel will fill the
room.
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7. Peer Relationships
To lead from the middle you must have passion for the cause,
be process-oriented and think “ahead”.
But, it’s understanding the pre-eminent role of peer relationships and
building them that will make you successful.
To build strong peer relationships:
First understand and respect the ideas and know-how of others.
You're not the only one who wants to be part of setting the strategies
that affect you.
When you're in the middle and aspire to lead, being open yourself and
drawing on the abilities of others is a requirement, not an option.
Second be trust-worthy.
Open, honest and predictable. Motivated by the best interests of the
whole. The basics. Don't violate them in self-interest. If you're a wolf,
don't put on the clothes of collaboration.
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8. On Collaborating
Respect and openness can allow a group to productively work
together, but collaboration develops only when a shared view of
the world emerges from the different perspectives each person
walked in with.
When talking or even writing, differences
between individuals’ mental models can
be wide but not obvious until after long,
contentious debate, often ending in sense
of hopelessness.
When people spend careers in different
functions, their frames of reference are
very different.
You have to work to fully understand your
colleagues' mental models, but that's the
entry point for collaboration.
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9. Hidden mental models create an Illusion of agreement.
When it bursts, there's acrimony.
Address mental models quickly or forget
about setting strategy collaboratively-- Your
momentum and leadership position will be lost.
Metaphors promote staying on point,
communication clarity and a big picture
outlook.
They help perspectives converge.
Trust can then take root and start a virtuous
cycle. Openness leads to agreement on
objectives that becomes the base for creative
problem solving, visioning and planning. Same words,
different meanings
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10. On the Critical Metaphors Mapping them
Role of spark
creativity
brings people
together!
Metaphors in
Collaboration
Visual metaphors open up group communication
Symbols remove defensiveness
When you build your thinking
into Metaphor Maps
You take Pride and
Make a commitment !
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11. What’s spark
a Metaphor Map?
Metaphors
It’s an image you build with symbols to show how something works
creativity
- It takes about 45 minutes
Technology
You might equate your operation to a Village, differences
where buildings are groups, roads are
relationships.
Then add other symbols to show problems
Late change
Or, equate your project to a River, in specs
row your boat through time.
Take actions and avoid obstacles Detailed
study,
early
Or, you might equate your roles and
responsibilities to a deck of cards.
The King makes decisions
The Queen is a decision partner
The Jack does what he’s told
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12. Leading from the Middle
– Where to Begin?
First, find something that is burning,
maybe slowly, maybe fast.
Maybe a weakness in your operational process or a new market or
industry trend not being addressed.
Define it.
Then—Start leading— take initiative, bring attention to the issue, and
after gaining agreement to address it, bring together the
stakeholders.
With Metaphor Mapping, you cover a lot of ground in a short time. In
less that a day, group can map the weaknesses in the current operation,
create an ideal operations vision and an action plan. Metaphors are
that powerful!
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13. If your problem is important and urgent,
Metaphor Mapping will ensure a solid strategy, built
collaboratively.
There’ll be clear understanding of who does what-- driven by symbols
that communicate to the gut and can’t be forgotten.
You can then bring together
the stakeholders. The
metaphors will draw out
their ideas and the mapping
process will help them build
on the best ones.
You'll find the solution
you've been seeking.
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14. Example:
Initiating an I.T. Project
Imagine you’re a project manager. You control the performance appraisals
of your team members, if not the paychecks. But, you depend on peers to
deliver parts of the project. And, internal clients who set the requirements
and judge you. And further, a steering committee controls your budget and
makes the big decisions.
Your project is installing a new IT system: The project’s just a dream until
there’s agreement with the Users about how the new system will work.
You’re the project manager.
You need to lead.
- and you’re in the middle!
If the Users and Technology team
don’t collaborate, you’re toast.
The need you’ve identified is for a
“contract” on how the new system will work for the Users.
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15. First of all,
Relax.
You can do this.
Leading collaboratively
is not hard.
If you bring together
knowledgeable people and
some tools, they’ll
take
ownership of the task,
do all the work and deliver
a great result!
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16. The stream of project manager actions to establish a contract
1. Verify need with user
managers and IT director.
3. Invite stakeholders, prepare workshop
4. Conduct Metaphor Mapping
2. Request steering group
workshop
to sponsor a workshop
5. Document maps
& discussion
Steps to agree
New System
functions
Lose track of
specific agreements 6. Contract agreed
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17. The action stream
Start with the end in mind.
What will success look like?
As an experienced project manager, you know that unless the project
objectives are well understood by user managers and staff, you can’t
succeed. The workshop goal is a full discussion and agreement on how
the organization will operate, the sequence of activities, flows of information
and how business controls will be addressed. You need a contract based
6. Contract for on this big picture understanding and want to further agree on the
new system mechanisms for steering and managing changes. The detailed
function specifications will be developed as a next step in the project but this is the
moment to get the senior people fully on board.
The first step toward that goal is to test the water with other
stakeholders and gain their agreement on the value of a workshop.
This is your opportunity to build or improve relationships that will be of great
value throughout the project. Agreement on priorities is the beginning of
trust. The bond of common understanding and aspirations will carry you 1. Verify need with
through future problems with schedule or deliverables. User managers
and IT director
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18. Down stream
Now armed with your colleagues’ agreement, you want the
project steering committee to confirm the need and insist on the
workshop. While you might have been able to sponsor it
yourself, it’s far better that those paying for the project require 2. Ask steering committee
it and take ownership of the resulting contract. to sponsor the workshop
You can take personal responsibility for organizing the workshop
or may invite one or more of the user managers to collaborate
with you. You want participants to include the formal and
informal leaders of all the stakeholder areas. Keep in mind that
all who build the contract are signatories to it. Anyone not in
3. Invite stakeholders, the room is a potential obstacle.
prepare the workshop
You’ll need to draft an invitation for the steering committee chair to send. It must include a
formal workshop purpose statement and make clear the invitees are expected to reserve a
full day for this critical task.
Tell them to bring an open mind and readiness to contribute their ideas. Nothing of
consequence to the welfare of the project should go un-said.
Planning the workshop flow falls to you and any colleagues you’ve invited to collaborate.
An important part of your planning is defining the small groups that will build maps. Mix the
functions to both include different perspectives and encourage building of new relationships.
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19. The workshop and contract
Since you’re to be a full time participant, you’ll
want to have someone else manage the
facilitation. The sequence moves from
introduction by the sponsor to small groups
mapping and documenting today’s operation
to presenting maps to the full group.
4. Conduct Metaphor Mapping workshop
Then the mapping groups are mixed again and given the task of defining how the
organization will work, once the new system is in place. You’ll want the map-builders to
provide enough specifics so they and the others can ‘feel themselves walking around” in
the changed operation. The next task is to lay out the major change steps needed. This
action plan emphasizes identifying obstacles –”What will make this difficult?”–
and showing how they can be overcome.
The full group presentations will have already brought agreement on the current
operation, the vision and change process. But, re-confirm by consolidating the small
group maps and narratives and reviewing again.
Arrange for the full steering committee to join the end of the workshop for a presentation
of the consolidated maps and narratives. That’s the contract!
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20. Protect and draw value from your contract
Watch out for an unanticipated consequence! This waterfall can still bring
havoc to your project. The workshop will have brought out a tremendous
number of ideas, some small and some critical agreements. You want to
make sure these have all been captured in detail, rather than a short-hand
on a flip chart that is subject to later misinterpretation. Elaborate the Lose track of
contract with some rigor. specific agreements
Your contract is a tremendous asset for all parties and your
company.
One way to draw added value from it is to present it to a wide set of
people, especially those who will be affected by the new system.
While they may not have been direct collaborators in this project, they
5. Document maps and the project will benefit from deeper understanding of how it will
& discussion proceed.
In preparation for your “road show”, capture the maps in digital form. You can take photos
but better, build the maps in a presentation software package where you can record detailed
descriptions of what the group intended when it chose certain symbols. Solicit feedback on
the contract and consider any suggestions or additional ideas. Who knows? That may lead
to the next fire you want to put out!
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21. Closing Messages
The old adage “there’s no limit to what you can achieve if you don’t ask for credit” is
relevant today in all complex situations. The easiest way to make things work better
is to engage others, listen and build a solution together. You’ll solve the problem
and your solution will endure.
Metaphors are powerful tools for organization development and change projects.
They’re perfect for collaborative leaders because they make it easy for a group to
see things differently, communicate clearly and address tough subjects.
Next time you’re “in the middle”,
lead collaboratively,
with metaphors!
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